Living Stones

Who is Our Brother's Keeper? by Ken Perry

More and more coorporate America is looking to invest in communities.  The headline post reads, "Invest in Communities to Advance Capitalism".  Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz writes in a blog post for the Harvard Business Review.

"As corporate citizens of the world, it is our responsibility - our duty - to serve the communities where we do business by helping to improve, for example, the quality of citizens' education, employment, health care, safety, and overall daily life, plus future prospects," ...Simply writing checks for charity projects doesn't cut it. "We must go deeper," he says."

While on the face of things, money invested back into communites can be a helpful thing, I can't help but wonder -- where is the church in all this?  Are we abdicating our responsibility as Catholic Chrisitians to love our neighbor and to serve as Christ did?

In the same way, we are called by Christ to invest in our own local communties.  Not just whoever happens to come to our events, but to reach out and serve the wider community in which we live in significant and meaningful ways.

St. Theresa's Parish in Tuckerton is parish that is a great example of thinking about new ways to reach out.  It's the largest food pantry in the area and has partnered with local food stores to help distribute food to those who in need.  Concerned about the lack of young families in church, Fr. Mick Lambeth began inviting a core group of young families to get together and begin to talk about outreach strategies.  The group is called "B3 - Bringing Faith, Friends and Family Back", and is now planning strategies and events to connect with those not in church on Sunday.

So where does your church community stand in all this?  In what ways are you already being salt and light in your community ?  In what ways can you improve the lives of others in your local community to serve-- not in the name of not capitalism--but in the name of Jesus Christ?

 

 

Not Your Father's Oldsmobile: A new approach to faith formation by Ken Perry

This week's Trenton Monitor has a great article highlighting a new approach to religious education at Resurrection Parish, Delran, NJ.  Resurrection Parish is a merged parish formed from St. Casimir Parish in Riverside and Holy Name Parish in Delran.

Fr. David Stachurski, OFM, Conv., Pastor and Pat Brooks, Religious Education Coordinator spearheaded an alternative approach to the classroom model of religious education that brings together families for faith formation.  It is broader in its scope and offers opportunities for faith formation for people of all ages-- and is already bearing much fruit in their parish community.

It’s a great example of searching out new approaches to bring the Gospel to families.  Enjoy!

'A Family Affair': Parish offers faith formation for all ages

 

Raising the Bar - Part I: Mission by Ken Perry

I came across this gem of a mission statement in well done annual report brought to us by our Evangelical brethren at Granger Community Church.  The report comes under the direction of Kem Meyer, wife, mother, author, conference speaker and communications director. 

There are a lot of good things, best practices in fact, to unpack and apply to our work in parish pastoral planning and communications that I'll be back on this one to revisit some other aspects of the report (check here for the full report).

The first thing one notices is its visual design, its accessible and easy to read layout.  Goals are laid out in concrete terms underneath each category.  These Initiatives are spelled out in clear and concise terms.  Be placing it with the annual report, it places into context financial reporting, giving, worship, outreach, etc.  

The next thing I appreciated about the mission statement is that it sets expectations for its members and visitors.  There is a vision and plan in place.  People have a clear and concrete understanding of where the church is heading and where its priorities lay.  In turn, people can better understand what is expected of them (in general terms) as disciples of Christ at Granger -- which is a key factor in creating an engaged and committed church community.

Both the content and visual design work together to create a real sense of excitement and purpose to the community.  They are challenging themselves and their membership to put off the status quo and begin in a new way to live radically for Jesus Christ - to BE the church.  The emphasis is not only on personal renewal, but to equip the church to become people who equip others to live as disciples as well.

How does this challenge translate to our Catholic Parishes?  Where is God challenging us as pastors and parish staff/ministers?  In what ways are we called to challenge others?  How can we better articulate and promote our missions to engage parishioners more fully to spread the Gospel of Christ!  God deserves nothing less than out best.  Let's go out and raise the bar!

 

Friends don’t invite friends to church by Ken Perry

Wait. What?

Friends don’t invite friends to church.

There, I said it again.  And I believe, that for the majority of Catholics, it’s true.

"People aren’t ashamed of Christ.  People are ashamed of your church." (Ouch!)  I came across this powerful idea while reading Church Marketing 101: Preparing Your Church for Greater Growth by Richard L Reising.

It’s not that the folks in your parish don’t want other people to come to church.  It’s not that they don’t want them to become Catholic and share in a place at the Eucharistic table.  It’s just that the cost of inviting someone to church may just be too high.

When people step out of their comfort zone and invite their friend to church, it had better be a home run.  Why?  Because if it’s not, it reflects directly on THEM -they are putting their own reputation on the line.  They could be concerned about the music, or the homilies, or lack of welcome when you walk in.  It could be many things.  But they don’t invite other people to church because it’s intimidating—and the harder it is for someone to invite someone else, the less people will be invited.  And the less people will be willing to come.  Plain and simple.

Reising identifies six challenges (and therefore areas of opportunity) associated with inviting a friend to church.

1.     Will my friend feel welcomed?

Hospitality -- The atmosphere, nomenclature, and style of service should be inviting and not intimidating to the unchurched.

2.      Will my friend fit in?

Comfort and Compatibility -- Like it or not, invitations and visitor comfort decrease when cultural gaps exist

3.     Can I feel confident that I know how the service will turn out?

Consistency --  people need to know what to expect, because they will invite accordingly

4.     Will my friend get something out of it?

Revelance -- The message should be relevant and powerful for people at all spiritual levels

5.     Will my friend understand it?

Understanding -- Jesus taught through practical illustrations. The songs and message should be understandable for people at all spiritual levels.

6.     Will anything that could seem strange to the unchurched be explained through Scripture?          

Sensitivity--Scriptural actions should be carried out with clarity and considerate explanation

The more intentional we can be in these areas in our Pastoral Planning, the more we can make it easier for people to invite others to church.  The more we can be intentional about connecting the Gospel of Christ in relevant and meaningful ways with the lives of parishioners, the more growth we will see in our churches, and the more lives we will see transformed and renewed for the Glory of God.